Dark Horse CPA triples client revenue and cuts proposal time by 83%
By automating proposals and streamlining billing with Ignition, Dark Horse CPA has not only eliminated time-consuming manual tasks but also boosted average client revenue by 275%. Even better? They’ve reduced proposal creation time from a painstaking 90 minutes to just 15, freeing up time to focus on growth.
“Ignition has completely transformed our client onboarding. What used to take 90 minutes now takes 15. It’s seamless, it’s automated, and it’s helping us scale like never before.”
Justin Kurn, Chief Revenue Officer, Dark Horse CPA
The challenge: A broken onboarding process that held back growth
clients, operates across tax, advisory, compliance, and wealth management. Through its “A Better Way CPA” Accelerator Program, the firm also helps other practices scale.
With ambitious growth goals—scaling from $13 million to $20 million in revenue annually—Dark Horse CPA needed a better way to onboard clients efficiently, track key metrics, and reduce administrative bottlenecks.
Before Ignition, their proposal and billing process was slow and fragmented:
- Manual proposals & engagement letters: Created in Word, sent via DocuSign, then manually invoiced in QuickBooks
- Disjointed systems: Attempted to use HubSpot’s quote tool, but it lacked engagement letters and billing integration
- Time-consuming process: Took 90 minutes per proposal, with delayed payments and collection issues
- Missed upselling opportunities: No streamlined way to present service add-ons to clients
“We were spending so much time on proposals and billing that it slowed down our ability to scale. The client experience wasn’t where we wanted it to be, and we needed a solution that would modernize the process.”
Justin Kurn, Chief Revenue Officer, Dark Horse CPA
The team needed a smarter, faster way to onboard clients, which led them to Ignition.
The solution: A seamless, automated experience with Ignition
Proposals, engagement letters, and payments, all in one place
Since rolling out Ignition, Dark Horse CPA transformed its entire client engagement process. Proposals, engagement letters, and payments are now created, sent, and tracked—all from one platform.
Instead of juggling multiple tools, Dark Horse CPA now creates, sends, and tracks proposals, engagement letters, and payments within Ignition. The results had a game-changing impact:
- Proposal creation time has dropped from 90 minutes to just 15—a time saving of 83%.
- Engagement letters are signed within the platform, eliminating the need for external tools like DocuSign or PandaDoc.
- Billing is automated and upfront—clients are charged as soon as they sign, boosting cash flow predictability.
- Scalable templates allow the team to customize services and pricing efficiently, helping maintain consistency across a growing client base.
“There was no reason now not to use Ignition. Across the board, it created a seamless experience for everybody involved, and it has now become the standalone tool that we use for those three areas, proposals, engagement letter, and payment processing.”
Effortless upselling and data-backed growth
Ignition doesn’t just streamline workflows, it’s helped unlock new revenue. Clients are now presented with clear service packages and upsell options right in the proposal. As a result, Dark Horse CPA has seen a 275% lift in average client revenue.
And it’s not just about automation. Ignition provides real-time visibility into key metrics like proposal conversion rates, revenue per engagement, and team performance, enabling data-driven decisions that support growth.
“Ignition gives us all the data we need to track success and make adjustments. If something isn’t working, we know exactly where to look and how to fix it.”
A 60% reduction in merchant processing fees: Instant profitability gains
One of the most unexpected wins? A dramatic drop in merchant processing fees. By switching to Ignition’s integrated payments, Dark Horse CPA slashed these costs by 60%.
For high-volume firms, even modest reductions in processing fees can mean tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars in annual savings. For Dark Horse CPA, the savings had a direct impact on the bottom line, improving profitability from day one.
“Merchant fees can eat away at margins, especially when you’re processing millions in transactions. Cutting our fees in half has been a massive win. That’s instant profitability, and money that we can reinvest into growth and client services.”
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